Flowers For McGee

10 - I Remember

Dear Journal,
I made a hundred dollars this week, I'm proud of myself. I'll be able to afford the doll I've seen in the shop window. Gwen will enjoy it. I've also bought things for Mom and Rosaline, although I know they won't enjoy their gifts as must as Gwen will.

"I was close to Gwen, I remember that." McGee says. His cold shoulder was pressed against Rose's as she read from his memory. "I remember the doll, I put her in your closet. Where is she?" He adds and sits up.

"Third floor." Rose says and she gets anxious.

"Can I see it?" He asks. "Let's go, Rose, I want it." He says and pulls her up.

"McGee, I'm... Can we do it tomorrow?" She asks and closes the book. He stands and frowns softly.

"You are scared," He says and she nods. "Right, I understand. I do not want to leave you alone. Continue reading." He says and sits back beside her.

Dear Journal,
Today wasn't a good day. Hodge told me if I couldn't come up with more money soon, they'd come for it. The price goes up every month.

"Please tell me you remember something about that?" Rose looks to McGee and he sadly shakes his head. Rose was hoping reading this night loosen something in his mind

"Terrible things happened, though," He says. "Gwen survived, she got out and lived, but I don't know why she came back." He says and his hands fist the bedsheets beside him.

"She thought you were being held captive," Rose says. "She wrote it in her diary, but I lost on the road. Tell me what happened to her."

McGee looks up at her his eyes darken. "She fell from me third floor balcony. She landed in the hallway," He says and Rose presses her hand to her mouth as the dark spot floats to her mind. "She was trying to get away from me but I couldn't let her fall. I didn't mean to hurt her, she moved away and fell over. I wanted her to leave, not die."

Rose takes his cold hand in her own and holds it tightly. "That can't be your fault if she fell by accident." Rose says softly and he abruptly stands, a hard look covers his face.

"Go to sleep, Rose." He says. "Ill be close by, you'll be fine." He says and leaves.
-
She walked up the stairs and looked around. "Brother?" She asks and she sees nothing. "I saw you, I know you are here. I can help."

"You can't help me," The voice says and she takes a shaky breath. "It's too late." She stands still at the top of the third floor staircase and tries to squint in the darkness. She takes a couple steps forward and banging echoes from the last door.

A muffled word comes from her mouth and Gwen runs to the locked door and her small hands try to pry it open.

"Leave before you can't!" He screams from behind the door and it continues to shudder. She jumps away from the as the lock falls out of place and hits the ground.

"I want to help you." She says in whisper and the door creaks open to reveal a dark room. She stands there facing the darkness. A choking sound echoes through the room and she sees a figure limping toward her. She quickly walks backwards to get away from it.

"You're not my brother." She says with tears as he stands in the doorway.

"Stop," He says and Gwen's back hits the railing and she tips over and screams. "No, Gwen, no!" He screaming echoes and over the edge it goes with her. The last thing she sees is the face of her brother.

Rose sits up in the darkness snd looks around. She didn't give herself time to process the dream at all, she reaches over and turns into her lamp and McGee sits on top of her dresser.

"Did you give me that dream?" She asks him and brushes a strand of hair away from her face.

"No, I guess she wants you to know," McGee says softly amd keeps his eyes cast low. "That was before I could control how I looked and before they all started revealing themselves to the living."

Rose pulls the blanket up to her chin and curls up in her side. How McGee looked sticks in her mind and she shudders. "I don't like the dreams." She says. She felt small and vulnerable in the big house.

"I can make them stop if you'd like," McGee says and she sits up and looks at him. He jumps off the dresser and walks over. He says and he lays on his side beside her and puts his hand on her head.
-
Rose woke the next morning feeling the best she has felt since arriving in Charming. she throws the covers back and stands with a small smile on her face. It was the first time since her dad died that she had a pleasant dreamless sleep. "Thank you." She calls out and she gets no answer. She looks over at her dresser and sees the diary she lost sitting there.

She goes to her bathroom and does her normal routine and she dresses in the ugly uniform and walks out. As she is straightening the collar of the dark blue shirt she look up and sees the doll standing in the doorway of the third room.

"Can we just get this over with and stop being creepy?" She asks out loud and a blackened hand reaches from behind the door and grabs the doll and pulls it back. The door slams shut and Rose can't stop herself from jumping at the harsh impact.

"Do not antagonize them, Rose come along." McGee says from behind her and she turns to face him. His cold hand lightly grasps her own and he leads her down the stairs.

"But maybe I could-" Rose is cut off as the grip on her hand becomes painfully tight and the whole house creaks. McGee doesn't face her as he stares straight ahead. Her heart beats painfully in her chest and her mouth goes dry.

"You can't talk to them, Rose. Or none of us will get to leave. Not even you. Don't make that mistake." He says and he vanishes and soon as Johnny walks up the stairs.

"Hey, mom sent me to see if you are getting ready," Johnny says and then frowns. "Are you okay? You look terrified."

Rose simply nods her head as a girl, unmistakeably Gwen, walks down the stairs past them, humming.

"Okay, what are you looking at? You're freaking me out with the staring at nothing and then the stuff with the lights last night." Johnny says and looks to where Gwen once was and then back to his sister.

"Sorry, I thought I saw a rat," Rose says in a cool voice and quickly walks past him. "And the thing with the lights was just completely coincidental since you were being an ass." She says and she can hear Johnny quickly descending behind her to catch up.

"I'm sorry, okay? I shouldn't have done that to you. When did you get so strong? You usually have the strength of a baby chicken." Johnny says and Rose chuckles softly with a smile as she sees McGee at the bottom of the last landing.

"He shouldn't put his hands on you, I need you." McGee says and walks along beside the twins.

"I guess you made someone mad." Rose says as she looks up at her brother, who is completely oblivious you the ghost in the hall.